Project Materials

MARITAL STATUS AND OCCUPATION PERFORMANCE OF FEMALE SECRETARIES

ABSTRACT

Finding out how many female secretaries there are in certain ministries in Imo State and what their marital status is was the primary goal of this research. Forty female secretarial staff members from the participating organisations made up the study’s population. The research included everyone in the population. To direct the investigation, researchers developed research questions. The research topics were addressed using a validated percentage and a 30-item structured questionnaire. Confidential information was handled by the secretaries, who were married females working as personal secretaries for certain business organisations. The married female secretaries on staff have neglected to demonstrate the skills, knowledge, and dedication expected of a good secretary, which has had an impact on their performance at work. Their inability to perform up to par is a direct result of the fact that their personal issues have spilt over into their professional lives. In their tone, secretaries should emphasise that they are fully capable of carrying out their tasks and obligations. Lastly, it is the responsibility of employers to provide their secretaries with comprehensive training, sufficient incentive, and true personal relations.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 The Background of the Study 

Staff members encounter a wide variety of difficulties in the course of their work in every industry. Every industry has its own unique set of problems that professionals must solve. The difficulties both male and female employees of educational institutions face include lecturers and students who feel slighted and a hierarchical system in which those in charge feel superior to those under them, regardless of their level of education or experience.

Working conditions in banks are often precarious, and some supervisors may even have the view that their subordinates are unqualified for the positions they hold.

Simply said, a secretary is someone who helps the boss with administrative tasks such as taking meeting minutes, writing letters, and processing incoming and outgoing mail.

A secretary’s role is to connect the dots between the office’s operations and the larger company. She should be able to work independently to take the necessary steps when necessary, keep accurate records of proceedings, relieve the executive of various administrative details, establish and maintain harmonious working relationships with superiors, coworkers, subordinates, customers, and suppliers, and coordinate and maintain effective office procedures set by the employer. According to Ohakgwe (2004).

The best efforts of your secretary will not be enough to mend your relationship with your employer, claims Njoku (2006). A secretary’s care for the organization’s employees is an important part of the job, and the secretary’s typewriting and inventory management skills are now necessities.

A competent secretary is an officer whose duties are subordinate to those of every other employee in the company, as stated by Ezinwa and Agumo (2000). This is due to the fact that secretaries have specific training and experience in the field, particularly in the areas of shorthand and typing (Ani 2001).

As he sees it, in the corporate world, the connection between an organization’s many goals and the delivery of goods and services to consumers is a crucial cog in the wheel of multiple duty activities.

The difficulties married female secretaries have on the job might range from discriminatory hiring practices to company policies that limit their opportunities for progress, training, and promotion.

Some employers hold the belief that women are ineffective due to a variety of biological factors, and this belief influences the promotion policies of private and other corporate organisations as well as other minatory factors.

While secretarial workers are required to maintain cordial relationships with their supervisors in order to carry out their official tasks, some have reported experiencing sexual harassment from their supervisors, which has caused them to consider leaving their professions in order to protect their married status and reputation. Nevertheless, there are some bosses who take advantage of their employees by putting them in danger.

A secretary’s unique responsibility in the company’s organisation causes her to be tardy for work every day. The supervisor, lower-level employees, and executives’ reactions to this can have an impact on the married female secretaries. The reason behind this could be that they are required to travel outside of Owerri for official business. However, due to their marital status and biological career, they are unable to experience the full spectrum of gender discrimination inside their respective departments.

This study set out to address the needs of married female secretarial staff in the Owerri municipal local government area by identifying the obstacles they confront.

1.2 Statement Of The Problem

Machines and tools used in modern offices: Most secretaries nowadays face constant competition from automated systems. A modern office puts a secretary who learnt to type by hand up against computers and word processors.

To comprehend and work with the boss, this is the biggest obstacle a new secretary will encounter.

Married female secretaries need to learn how to handle office procedures or risk losing their jobs.

Married female secretaries believe they become irritated when they try to approach lower-level employees with questions.

1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The research challenges can be better solved by asking the following questions:

To what extent did certain secretarial tasks in Owerri metropolis present difficulties for married female secretaries working for certain businesses?

What difficulties have married female secretaries in Owerri metropolis faced in developing their human relation competencies?

Is a female secretary’s marital status an influence on her work choices and productivity?

1.4 The Objectives of the Study

The primary objective of this research is to identify the difficulties encountered by married female secretaries working for a sample of businesses in the Owerri metropolitan area. Specifically, the study will look for:

Whether married female secretaries in Owerri metropolis have any issues with their job duties. Find out if certain businesses in Owerri metropolis’ human relation competencies are impacted by marital obligation.

Identify the causes of these difficulties. I aim to address the challenges that married female secretaries in certain industries face and provide them with solutions.

1.5 The Significance of the Study

The significance of this study lies in its endeavour to shed light on the difficulties faced by married female secretaries and in the supplementary data it provides, both of which contribute to expanding the boundaries of knowledge within the secretarial and educational fields.

The married secretaries will learn firsthand how their misconduct impacts both their individual and the company’s productivity. For married female secretaries working for certain companies in Owerri metropolis, this will be a great asset in understanding how to carry out their human relations duties.

Married female secretaries in a sample of Owerri metropolis businesses will have their secretarial skills uncovered by this investigation.

1.6 Scope of the Study

This study aims to shed light on the difficulties married female secretaries encounter while carrying out their vital responsibilities in the role. Why men are afraid to propose marriage to single people or follow their wives into secretarial roles. The researcher will look into the problem that married female secretaries are having and provide solutions.